Location

Known For

The lowdown

Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi are hardly the first New Yorkers to forge an empire out of red sauce and mozzarella. They might be the only ones, though, who’ve done so while vociferously fetishizing Progresso bread crumbs, B&G peppers, and Carvel ice cream, all formative influences in their greater-metropolitan-area youths. At Parm, the most affordable brand in their ever-expanding empire, what can be interpreted as kitsch is actually tribute: the house-pulled “mozz,” in the mozzarella sticks; the fried calamari as light and tender as a French macaron; the crisp-edged slab of baked ziti; the vinegary iceberg “Sunday” salad, which becomes a “Holiday” salad with some salami and cheese; and especially the eponymous sandwiches — eggplant, chicken, and meatball — which come on a roll, a hero, or a platter, along with a side of spicy rotini.